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Four Penn State DuBois undergraduates present wildlife
research
Four Penn State DuBois undergraduate students recently presented their
research projects at the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Wildlife Society annual
meeting.
“We’re very proud of these students,” says Keely
Roen, Instructor in Wildlife Technology. “They not only prepared significant
materials in their research, they handled themselves very professionally in
making the presentation as well. This is a very big accomplishment for
undergraduate students and they did a fine job.”
There were nearly 100 participants at the 2005 annual
conference of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Wildlife Society held March 18
and 19 in State College. More than a dozen technical papers were presented
on the afternoon of the full day session covering a variety of topics in
natural resources and wildlife management.
In the first of the two DuBois presentations, Roen
worked with students Brian Dicks of Harbor Creek and Josh Day of DuBois,
both majoring in Wildlife Technology at the campus. Their work was on the
shorthead garter snake, one of three species of garter snake found in
Pennsylvania.
“The shorthead garter snake has a very limited
distribution covering only northwestern Pennsylvania and a small portion of
southern New York,” says Dicks. “We located populations of shorthead garter
snakes at two sites in the DuBois area. Students participated in both
locating and capturing of the snakes.”
“Our study focused on the capture and recording of
individual data,” says Day. “Length, weight, sex, location, eye diameter to
frontal scale ratio, and any abnormalities or injuries are recorded. Any
snake greater than ten inches also receives a passive integrated transponder
(PIT) before release.”
The students say they are planning to generate
population estimates for both areas where snakes were found with the data
they have collected.
The second DuBois presentation was on Project Owlnet,
an effort to gain greater understanding of the migration of northern
saw-whet owls, the birds recognized for their appearance on one of
Pennsylvania’s popular conservation license plates. Roen worked with two
more students in the wildlife program on their presentation, Lee Lindemuth
of Tidioute and Kelly Williams of Reynoldsville.
“Students at Penn State DuBois joined Project Owlnet
in 2001 by establishing a banding station near Brockway,” says Lindemuth.
“Since that time, Project Owlnet has been an integral part of undergraduate
coursework. In their first year, students are introduced to mist netting and
banding and receive Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
certification. In their second year, students are tested on Project Owlnet
protocol and required to participate in a minimum of one night of banding.”
“A majority of students also volunteer for additional
nights,” says Williams. “In four years, the banding station has processed
seventy-six northern saw-whet owls, one barred owl, and has tested marking
methods on a colony of southern flying squirrels. This project has provided
hands-on educational experience for students and has grown into a community
outreach opportunity as well.”
Additionally, the banding project works as a
recruitment tool for the University by serving as a high point of interest
for prospective students.
The four undergraduates weren’t the only campus
presenters at the conference. The keynote address at the banquet was given
by Joseph Hummer of DuBois, an instructor in wildlife technology at the
campus for over 30 years. Hummer spoke about a long-term study he conducted
on the copperbelly water snake in Indiana. Data from his research will be
published in the upcoming issue of American Midland Naturalist. Two members
on PA Chapter of the Wildlife Society Board of Directors got their start at
the DuBois campus and were excited to see one of their favorite instructors
again.
A portion of the costs for the students who were
attending the conference were paid by the Penn State DuBois Undergraduate
Professional Development fund. Proceeds of the fund are generated by
contributions made by campus faculty and staff who wish to encourage
undergraduate research and participation in such conferences and
presentations.
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